Stone Glacier Approach 2800 vs Stone Glacier Solo 3600
Quick take: The Stone Glacier Solo 3600 carries more (59 vs 46 liters); the Stone Glacier Approach 2800 is lighter (4.08 vs 4.14 lbs).
Which one to buy
Both sell for $675 on the Krux or Xcurve frame, with the same 150+ lb rating and 2,500+ ci expandable load shelf, and their complete weights are within a couple of ounces. What you're choosing is the bag, and the bag follows how many nights you sleep out. The Stone Glacier Approach 2800 is a 46 L day-hunting bag; the Solo 3600 is a 59 L minimalist multi-day bag designed around solo sheep hunts.
For day hunts the Approach is better set up. Its glassing layout is built in: an external pocket for a spotter up to a 115 mm objective plus two tripod carry options, with one owner saying the system "really nailed it." It also has two internal zippered organizer pockets. Owners say 46 L crowds fast in cold weather once puffy layers, rain gear, spotter, tripod and stove go in, and most keep a bigger bag for planned overnights. One wear point: the tripod foot pocket has no hard liner, so spiked feet can eventually push through.
The Solo is the overnight bag, and even it is tight. Owners say 59 L works for a 3-4 day elk hunt only with a compressible down bag and a small shelter, and several suggest the Col 4800 or Sky 5900 for late season; the Solo is only $24 less than the 79 L Col. Its biggest owner complaint is external storage: a single outside pocket and no stretch side pockets for a Nalgene or trekking poles. A lid, hydration sleeve, hipbelt pockets and camp pocket all cost extra.
Water is a shared headache. Neither bag has a hydration sleeve or proper bottle pockets, so budget for Stone Glacier's add-on pockets with either. Because the bags swap onto any Stone Glacier frame, buying one doesn't lock you out of the other: a common play is to start with one complete system and add a second bag later.
Stone Glacier Approach 2800
For western day hunters who glass hard and want an elk quarter to come out on the first trip without a second hike in.
Stone Glacier Solo 3600
Best if your hunts run two to four nights with a compact down kit and you want the lightest multi-day system that still hauls meat.
| Spec | Stone Glacier Approach 2800 | Stone Glacier Solo 3600 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $675 | $675 |
| Rating | — | — |
| Type | Hunting Pack | Hunting Pack |
| Frame Type | External Frame | External Frame |
| Capacity | 46 L | 59 L |
| Weight | 4 lb 1.3 oz complete on Krux (bag only 1 lb 5 oz; 4 lb 5.3 oz on Xcurve) | 4 lb 2.2 oz (Krux) / 4 lb 6.2 oz (Xcurve), complete with medium belt |
| Max Load | 150+ lbs | 150+ lbs |
| Torso Fit | 26 in frame (23 in Krux Short available) with adjustable shoulder yoke; Xcurve straps add vertical adjustment for shorter torsos; belts S (28-30 in), M (31-36 in), L (37+ in) | Hook-and-loop harness with continuous height and angle adjustment; S/M/L belts (28"-37"+); Krux Short frame option for shorter torsos |
| Material | 500D Cordura + X-Pac | 500D Cordura + X-Pac laminate, YKK #10 zippers, 1" Duraflex military-spec hardware, made in USA |
| Back Panel | Foam-padded frame panel on 4 carbon-composite stays (straight Krux or anatomically curved Xcurve) | Foam-padded carbon-stay frame panel (Krux or Xcurve frame) with nitrogen-infused foam harness |
| Adjustable torso | Yes | Yes |
| Ventilated back | No | No |
| Raincover included | No | No |
| Hipbelt pockets | No | No |
| Removable lid | No | No |
| Hydration sleeve | No | No |
| Fits BV500 bear can | Yes | Yes |
| Warranty | Lifetime against defects in materials and workmanship (excludes normal wear and tear, accidents, misuse and negligence) | Lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship |
Pros & cons
Stone Glacier Approach 2800
- ✓A real 150+ lb meat-hauling chassis under a day bag: the integrated Krux/Xcurve load shelf expands 2,500+ ci between bag and frame, and owners specifically run it so an elk quarter comes out on the first trip instead of wasting a return hike for a frame.
- ✓Same $675 buys your choice of frame — the 2 lb 12 oz straight-stay Krux (a 23-inch Krux Short is offered for short torsos) or the 3 lb anatomically curved Xcurve, whose crossed carbon stays and Powerlock belt are built for loads over 100 lb and whose straps add vertical adjustment for shorter torsos.
- ✓Best glassing layout in the SG day line: external spotting scope pocket up to a 115 mm objective plus two tripod carry options — one owner said the exterior spotter pocket and tripod system 'really nailed it' as his ideal day pack.
- ✓Two 200 ci internal zippered organizer pockets — owners note they eliminate the need to buy SG's Swing-Out accessory pockets that the older Solo bag required.
- ✓Full-panel clamshell zip opens the whole bag flat for easy loading — easier to load than the Solo's top-panel zip.
- ✓The 1 lb 5 oz bag is modular: it mates to any Stone Glacier frame and can even ride over the top of a 5900 expedition bag as an add-on, per owners.
- ✓Materially overbuilt for its weight — 500D Cordura and X-Pac with YKK #10 zippers and mil-spec Duraflex buckles, made in the USA; an ocabj.net reviewer coming from an Eberlestock Gunslinger II found it dramatically lighter yet more comfortable for match use.
- ✓Clean, professional look without MOLLE webbing crosses over to NRL Hunter matches, range days, and travel — reviewers repeatedly praise it as a non-tactical do-all.
- ✗$675 for a day-pack system is real money — an Exo K4 or Kuiu Pro complete kit lands in the same range with more bag, and the frame is most of the Approach's cost.
- ✗46 L runs out fast in cold weather: owners say puffy layers, rain gear, spotter, tripod, and a stove crowd it, and most keep a bigger bag for overnighters.
- ✗No hydration sleeve and only one open side pocket (left side) — no external water-bottle pockets, a recurring Stone Glacier complaint.
- ✗No hip-belt pockets included; SG's Swing-Out and belt pockets are paid accessories.
- ✗The tripod foot pocket has no hard liner, so spiked tripod feet can eventually punch through it (flagged in the ocabj.net long-term review).
- ✗At 4.1-4.3 lb complete it's double the weight of frameless day packs like a Kuiu Venture — overkill if you never haul meat.
- ✗The smaller Approach 1800 was discontinued, so there's no lower-volume version of this bag currently sold.
- ✗Choosing between Krux and Xcurve frames requires homework on your torso and load style — buy the wrong one and comfort under heavy loads suffers.
Stone Glacier Solo 3600
- ✓An 'ultralight pack using no ultralight materials' — at 4 lb 2 oz complete on the Krux frame it undercuts an Exo K4 3600 or Kifaru 44 Mag system while keeping burly 500D Cordura/X-Pac fabric and a 150+ lb rating.
- ✓The 2,500+ ci expandable load shelf is the pack's superpower: owners and Stone Glacier size it to swallow an entire boned-out sheep or mule deer, and it fits elk quarters perfectly between bag and frame.
- ✓Genuine sheep-hunt pedigree — designed around solo Alaska hunts, and it remains the bag owners recommend when someone asks for the lightest setup that can still pack out an animal.
- ✓Petersen's Hunting's New Mexico elk test praised the load stability on repeated meat hauls down steep terrain, reporting none of the aches associated with ill-fitting packs and calling out how well the belt locks the load to the hips.
- ✓Full top-panel zip opens the whole main compartment, so bottom-of-bag items are reachable without unloading — a real advantage over top-loader competitors in this weight class.
- ✓New integrated differential-cut spotting scope pocket stores a spotter without stealing interior volume, an upgrade over the original Solo that long-term owners called for.
- ✓A detailed two-year owner review covering hunting, meat hauling, backpacking, and shed hunting ends in a strong recommendation, echoed by a 4.9/5 average across 37 reviews on stoneglacier.com.
- ✓At $675 it ties the Approach 2800 as the cheapest Stone Glacier bag sold complete on a Krux or Xcurve frame, and the bag swaps onto the same frame as every other SG bag, making it a low-risk entry into the ecosystem.
- ✗The single external pocket is a recurring owner gripe, and owners resort to strapping gear on or buying clip-in organizer pockets to avoid digging through the main bag.
- ✗No stretch side pockets for a Nalgene, trekking poles, or tripod tips — multiple owners have literally asked about DIY-sewing their own, and some dislike being forced to carry water on the belt.
- ✗59 L is a genuine squeeze for 3-4 day elk hunts: owners say it works only with a compressible down bag and small shelter, and several recommend stepping up to the Col 4800 or Sky 5900 for late-season or synthetic-insulation loads.
- ✗No lid included and, unlike the Sky bags, adding the Sky Series Lid is an extra purchase you may need for longer trips.
- ✗Hydration sleeve, camp pocket, and hipbelt pockets are all sold separately, pushing the real-world price of a complete kit well past $675.
- ✗At $675 it is only $24 less than the 79 L Col 4800, so the value-per-liter argument favors sizing up unless every ounce matters.
- ✗The perforated foam lining on the belt and shoulder straps collects pine needles and debris — a Stone Glacier-wide annoyance noted by long-term reviewers.
- ✗Minimalist single-compartment design means no internal organization at all out of the box — hunters coming from a Mystery Ranch Metcalf or Eberlestock will find it spartan.
Stone Glacier Approach 2800 vs Stone Glacier Solo 3600: common questions
Can the Approach 2800 handle an overnight, or do I need the Solo 3600?▾
In mild weather with a dialed kit, maybe. Approach owners say 46 L crowds fast once cold-weather layers, a spotter, tripod and stove go in, and most keep a bigger bag for planned overnights. The Solo's 59 L is the better start for multi-day trips.
Which has better spotting scope storage, the Approach 2800 or the Solo 3600?▾
The Approach. It has an external pocket for spotters up to a 115 mm objective plus two tripod carry options, a setup one owner said really nailed it. The Solo has an integrated spotting scope pocket that doesn't eat interior volume, but owners say its single external pocket leaves little room for anything else.
If I buy one, can I use the other bag on the same frame later?▾
Yes. Both bags ride the same Krux or Xcurve frames, and the common play is to buy a larger Stone Glacier bag later and swap it onto the frame you already own.